Desert Edge track and field head coach Sharod Selph accepted a position of assistant sprints coach at Oklahoma State University. 

Selph is a former Oklahoma State All-American and member of the record-holding 4x100 relay team, set when he led off the team in the 2015 NCAA Division I West Region Championship. He also won a Big 12 Championship with the Cowboys.

Sharod Selph lifts up the Big 12 Championship trophy. (Photo courtesy of Sharod Selph

“It’s surreal,” Selph said. “To go back and go to the school that took a chance on me, a little (junior college) kid that was from North New Jersey, it’s incredible man.”

Selph carries a reputation of developing elite speed at Desert Edge high school. 

He coached a plethora of high-end talent during his two-year tenure as head coach: Arizona’s No. 1 ranked ‘25 and ‘26 football recruits in Jamar Beal Goines and Camren Hamiel; 2025 boys 110 and 300-meter hurdles AIA state champion Bellemy Amina-Harris, along with a large amount of three to five-star football and track recruits who improved their speed at Desert Edge. 

Beal-Goines holds the 100-meter dash school record at 10.43 seconds, with two of his teammates behind him, Logan Yackley (10.47) and David Cabrera (10.53). 

Selph is looking forward to contributing to an already talented Oklahoma State roster, including Ben Currence, the former Sandra Day O’Connor star who leads the Cowboys in the 400-meter hurdles (52.73). 

“I really want to be able to connect with my athletes like I have been doing,” he said. “On the recruiting side I can make a huge splash, just from all the relationships that I’ve built in the past. I think I can really bring some new school swag to Oklahoma State.”

Selph will be under legendary head coach Dave Smith and assistant coach Giles McDonnell, who has been a critical mentor to Selph during his young coaching career (three years as the sprints coach and two as head coach for Desert Edge). 

“He’s been such a big help for me in my growth as a coach and there’s been times that I would call him and we’d talk for hours,” Selph said. “I don’t think I would be the coach I am today without his mentorship.”

McDonnell, who works primarily with the Cowboys’ sprints and hurdles group, has helped develop multiple Big 12 champions, All-Americans and program record holders during his nine seasons in Stillwater. 

Under McDonnell, Oklahoma State athletes have rewritten the school record books in multiple sprint and relay events while establishing the program as one of the Big 12’s top sprint groups.

For Desert Edge, losing Selph is a massive loss. However, the assistant coaching staff established carries plenty of high level competitive and coaching experience. 

Every current assistant coach at DEHS carries some sort of Division I or professional experience in competing or coaching. This leads many to believe that Desert Edge will promote from within. 

However, it is uncertain what the future holds. Selph and his staff took one of Arizona’s most overlooked girls programs and developed it into a rising force. 

In 2026, six school records fell–all of them being broken by underclassmen. This made the decision extremely difficult for Selph, leaving him to choose between staying with a group he was deeply invested in or the opportunity to coach at his alma mater under his mentor. 

“Being able to coach them up to this point has been such an honor of mine, but letting them go is the toughest part,” Selph said. “You’ve put so much time into a person, not just their athleticism, but the person, trying to help them be great young adults. It’s going to be really hard to leave those kids. I’ve built a really strong bond with them and their families.”

Selph leaves behind a lasting impact on the Desert Edge Scorpions track and field program after taking over midway through the 2024 season and elevating the program’s trajectory. He believes Desert Edge can continue its rise if the current coaching staff remains in place because of the strong relationships they have built with the team’s rapidly developing young athletes. 

While Selph is moving on to the next chapter of his coaching career, he believes the culture and relationships built within the Desert Edge Scorpions track and field program will continue to push the team forward. 

“It’s a unique opportunity, where I get to make an impact on young adults' lives,” Selph said. “Oklahoma State holds such a special place in my heart. I can’t wait to go back. It’s definitely a special place.”